Twenty 2-Minute Habits to Keep Your Space (and Life) Organized – TPW475

Implementing some well-thought-out habits can help us get organized! Small actions taken consistently will bring better results than grand gestures taken occasionally. We can make big plans and set big goals, but the best way to achieve them is to develop habits--things we do almost automatically--that move us in the direction of our goals. For more thoughts on the value of habits (and how to nurture useful ones) check out episode 230, when we talked about key takeaways from James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, and episode 147, where we discussed The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg.  For many of us, a goal is to be more organized. The more organized we are, both in our space and in our use of time, the more at peace we can be, and the more we can accomplish because we’re wasting less time.  The challenge is that most of us have a lot going on in our lives, which makes the idea of taking on a big reorganization project feel overwhelming.  Even if you don’t have the time or energy to spend big chunks of time organizing your space or your life, though, you can still make progress by establishing small habits that take only a couple of minutes but can result in a more organized home, office, and life. (A great book about this is Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results, by Stephen Guise.)  I did some online research to see what organization experts have to say about this, and wanted to share some recommendations for habits we can all consider. Tidier Home = Less Stress 1. Make your bed. Every single resource I looked at starts with this one. There are lots of reasons why this is such a universal recommendation: Because it’s the largest thing in the room, making the bed immediately makes the whole room look better. It’s a small thing that establishes a sense of control and discipline. For me, it just makes me feel good every time I walk through the room. My process: I fold it all back when I first get out of bed to let it air out for a bit while I do my morning routine, but before I start my day I make it.  2. Designate a drop zone (near the entrance, for keys, wallets, phones, jackets, etc.) and use it. Maybe it'll include hooks or a tray, or cubbies, or whatever works for your space to contain it so it looks tidier. As important, if you always put those things there, you will never waste a moment looking for them.  3. Put your bag (and shoes and coat) away as soon as you come into the house (or office). Same reason and benefit as the drop zone.  4. Bring in stuff from your car when you come inside--whatever you took with you, and whatever you picked up while you were out. Train the kids to look around their seats for anything that needs to be brought in.  5. Deal with mail as soon as it comes in the door. (If I bring in the mail I’ll stop at the trash bin in the garage on my way by and toss any junk mail so it never enters the house.) If you have recycling available where you live, you can do the same with the recycle bin. Have a specific place to put mail that needs action (a bill to pay; an invitation to reply to; an important paper to file). 6. Tidy the space when you leave it at the end of the day. This can take only a minute or two and lets you hit the ground running the next day.  Living room/family room  * Snack dishes into the kitchen (wash or put into dishwasher)